• Digital Enterprise

Wired for Duty, OTSAW’s Autonomous Security Robots are Serving and Protecting

OTSAW is a global company developing robotics solutions for security, delivery, and mobility applications, implementing their self-driving and artificial intelligence technologies into cutting-edge machines. Wired for duty, OTSAW’s autonomous security robots are serving and protecting.

Radical concepts

The OTSAW O-R3 security robot is contributing a much-needed level of machine learning-based automation to security and surveillance applications. For instance, Dubai augmented its police force with 100 of OTSAW’s innovative autonomous robots, which are serving and protecting the citizens of and visitors to the UAE’s largest city.

O-R3 robots are patrolling the city’s streets, have 360-degree vision, and are equipped with facial-recognition software to scan for wanted criminals. The robots also carry launchable drones that can provide a birds-eye-view of the surroundings. The robots and their drones feed data back to a control center enabling informed decisions on how to respond. Dubai authorities have stated they want robots to make up 25% of the city’s police force by 2030.

In another instance, PUB, Singapore’s national water agency recently took delivery of an O-R3 unit to enhance surveillance operations at its plants and reservoirs. Again, the robot is recording and processing data in real-time and reporting back to a control room.

A cry for help

Many countries are experiencing a shortage of police officers, representing a major challenge in fighting crime. The deployment of robots with a degree of AI, and which are therefore capable of assessing situations, means they can draw the most pressing matters to the attention of operators in the control room. These operators control the robot remotely but the O-R3’s software includes machine-learning algorithms enabling it to navigate on its own.

In addition to its 360-degree visual capability, the O-R3 has automatic number plate recognition and thermal imaging. This last capability is of great use in security applications in poor lighting conditions but also of great benefit in other sectors too. For example, a patrolling inspection robot, similar to the one PUB is using, could flag if plant machinery (such as motors and bearings) starts running hot; a common indication of impending failure.

In all sectors, the deployment of robots stands to make better use of human resources. O-R3 robots operate around the clock and can recharge themselves.

Harnessing the power of ECAD

Established in 2014, OTSAW Digital is a subsidiary of ActiV Technology, is headquartered in Singapore, and has offices in the USA and Japan. The company has invested heavily in R&D, production facilities and people.

OTSAW, which is Hebrew for ‘house of treasures’, uses Zuken’s E3.series for the electrical design for its robots; from initial concept through to the creation of detailed schematics and bills of materials needed for the manufacture of the wiring harnesses.

“E3.series is our preferred choice of electrical CAD,” said Abhinay Bollam, Head of Production of OTSAW, “since it is intelligent and provides the designer with all the required features to create error-free drawings and generates reports, all with one mouse-click.

E3.series easily generates all the documentation required for production. Through tight integration with OTSAW’s mechanical CAD (MCAD) software, the engineering team can calculate the optimum lengths of cables for assembly purposes.

The road ahead

OTSAW has great plans for its autonomous robot technology in many industry sectors and smaller versions for indoor use are on the cards too. The company hopes to license autonomous software to automobile companies for use in self-driving, passenger-carrying vehicles, as O-R3 has already demonstrated its ability to operate amongst human-driven vehicles. Keep an eye out, you may just see one of the innovative OTSAW robots in your own city very soon!